Donald Trump’s promise, the American army will intervene on the ground to help secure the border between the United States and Mexico.
The United States Department of Defense has begun the process of deploying additional troops to secure the country’s southern border.
Some 1,500 active-duty troops are being sent out after plans were put into motion by newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump.
The 47th President of the United States quickly got to work after reoccupying the Oval Office on Monday. On the day of his inauguration, he signed a series of executive orders, marking a 180-degree turn from the Biden administration. Among these decrees were plans to crack down on immigration.
Acting Defense Secretary Robert Salesses said the troops would fly helicopters to assist Border Patrol agents on the ground and help build barriers. The Pentagon will also provide more military aircraft for Department of Homeland Security deportation flights for more than 5,000 detained immigrants.
According to Mr. Salesses, the number of soldiers and their missions could soon change, adding that “this is just the beginning.”
“As quickly as possible, the department will develop and execute additional missions in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, federal agencies and state partners to respond to the full range of threats described by the President at the borders of our country”said Mr. Salesses.
Defense officials say the ministry is ready to offer even more troops if requested and if it proves necessary. They indicated that up to 2,000 additional Marines could be made available and deployed to the southern border with Mexico.
Officials added that there are no plans at this time for deployed troops to do law enforcement, but that could change depending on decisions and orders from the White House.
The Posse Comitatus Act, passed in 1878, prohibits troops from performing law enforcement duties. Mr. Trump does, however, have the option of invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807, which would authorize the use of troops to maintain civil order.
Mr. Trump has asked the new Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and the head of Homeland Security to report to him within three months whether it is necessary to invoke this law. The last time this law was invoked was in 1992 by President George HW Bush to quell the Los Angeles riots after the acquittal of the police officers accused of beating Rodney King.
The active forces will join the approximately 2,500 members of the National Guard and the U.S. Reserve already present at the border. Until this deployment, no active troops worked along this 3,220 km long border.
About 20,000 Border Patrol agents are currently on active duty. Most of them work in the south of the country, but they are also responsible for protecting the northern border with Canada. Agents on the northern border are tasked with identifying drug traffickers, while those on the southern border are primarily looking for illegal migrants.
